Vito Arujau made quick work of Austin Desanto in the 61kg final of the 2023 U.S. Open in Las Vegas to earn a return trip to Final X, where he fell just short of a spot on the national team in 2022.

Arujau, who turns 24 on June 1, is fresh off a win in the 133-pound weight class at the 2023 NCAA Championship. He became the 15th Cornell wrestler to claim an individual national title, after placing third and fourth in his previous appearances at the national event. He also received All-America honors for the third consecutive year.

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The Top 25 Point Scorers At The 2023 NCAA Championships

2023 Final X Wrestling Matchups

His Final X opponent will be Nahshon Garrett, who was the 61kg champion at the 2023 WTT Challenge Tournament.

This year’s edition of Final X will take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 10. The event will feature the top 2 wrestlers at every weight class in a best-of-three series, with the winners making the 2023 United States World Team. 

The world team will travel to Belgrade, Serbia, to compete at the 2023 Senior World Championships from Sept. 16-24. 

Check below for the current matchups for Final X and a brief explanation of how each wrestler qualified for the 2023 event.

Here’s what to know about Vito Arujau:

Accolades For Vito Arujau In 2023 Didn’t End With National Title

Arujau was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, becoming the fourth wrestler in Cornell history to receive the honor. 

He also earned The Hammer, an award presented annually by Amateur Wrestling News to the wrestler who wins the national title in what the publication’s writers determine to be the most competitive weight class at the event.

NCAA Champions & All-Americans At The 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships

Vito Arujau Dominated High School Wrestling in New York

Prior to heading to Cornell, where he became the Ivy League Rookie of the Year for the 2018-2019 season, Arujau was a four-time state champion, wrestling out of Syosset High School. 

He was a five-time county champion and finished his career with a 216-1 record, including winning his last 173 matches. 

The Passport Of Vito Arujau

The history for Arujau and Thomas Gilman goes back further than Final X Wrestling 2022, as Arujau was the runner-up to Gilman at the rescheduled 2020 U.S. Wrestling Olympic Team Trials.

Arujau had the opportunity to replace the injured Gilman at the 2021 Pan American Wrestling Championships, where Arujau claimed the gold medal in his weight class. 

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Previously, Arujau earned a pair of silver medals in international competition. He was the runner-up at the 2016 Cadet World Championships and fell short in the gold-medal match of the 2019 Junior World Championships. 

Vito Arujau Wrestling Ranking 

In the most recent Domestic Men’s Freestyle rankings on FloWrestling, Vito Arujau ranked first in the 61kg weight class. 

Here are the top 5: 

1. Vito Arujau 
2. Austin Desanto
3. Seth Gross
4. Daton Fix
5. Nahshon Garrett

Here are the complete rankings.

How Wrestlers Qualify For Final X Wrestling 2023

A wrestler can qualify for Final X in one of three ways.

First, all 2022 senior world medalists automatically qualified for Final X. There were seven wrestlers in men’s freestyle, six in women’s freestyle and zero in Greco-Roman who met this criterion.

Next, all champions from the 2023 US Open (held April 26-30) automatically qualified for Final X.

Finally, for the weights that didn’t have a returning world medalist, the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament (May 20-21) champion will earn a spot in Final X. 

Men’s Freestyle Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

• 57 kg: *Thomas Gilman vs Zane Richards
• 61 kg: Vito Arujau vs Nahshon Garrett
• 65 kg: *Yianni Diakomihalis vs Nick Lee
• 70 kg: *Zain Retherford vs Tyler Berger
• 74 kg: *Kyle Dake vs Jason Nolf
• 79 kg: *Jordan Burroughs vs Chance Marsteller
• 86 kg: *David Taylor vs Aaron Brooks
• 92 kg: Michael Macchiavello vs Zahid Valencia
• 97kg: *Kyle Snyder vs J’den Cox
• 125 kg: Gable Steveson vs Mason Parris

*Denotes 2022 World Medalist

Women’s Freestyle Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

• 50 kg: *Sarah Hildebrandt vs Audrey Jimenez
• 53 kg: *Dominique Parrish vs Katie Gomez
• 55 kg: Alisha Howk vs Jacarra Winchester
• 57 kg: *Helen Maroulis vs Xochitl Mota-Pettis 
• 59 kg: Michaela Beck vs Jennifer Page
• 62 kg: *Kayla Miracle vs Adaugo Nwachukwu
• 65 kg: Mallory Velte vs Macey Kilty
• 68 kg: Forrest Molinari vs Emma Bruntil
• 72 kg: *Amit Elor vs Joye Levendusky
• 76 kg: Kennedy Blades vs Adeline Gray

*Denotes 2022 World Medalist

Men’s Greco-Roman Matchups At Final X Wrestling 2023

• 55 kg: Brady Koontz vs Dalton Duffield
• 60 kg: Dalton Roberts vs Ildar Hafizov
• 63 kg: Hayden Tuma vs Xavier Johnson
• 67 kg: Robert Perez III vs Alejandro Sancho
• 72 kg: Justus Scott vs Patrick Smith
• 77 kg: Kamal Bey vs Aliaksandr Kikiniou
• 82 kg: Spencer Woods vs Ryan Epps
• 87 kg: Alan Vera vs Zachary Braunagel
• 97 kg: Josef Rau vs Christian Dulaney
• 130 kg: Cohlton Schultz vs Adam Coon

How To Watch Final X Wrestling 2023 

Final X will stream live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app. 

FloWresting will also serve as home of match archives and provide the latest news from Final X.